BOLTON boss Sam Allardyce is running out of time to sign a loan reinforcement before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month.

He was rocked by news from the boardroom this week that there was only enough money available to bring in one quality player instead of the two he wanted.

Allardyce has a slight preference for a forward over a centre-back but progress is slow and he is highly conscious that he mustn't rush into a last-minute signing which he could regret for the rest of the season.

He said: "We don't want to go down to the final day of the transfer window at the end of the month before getting a player.

"It would be a no-go situation because you would still have medicals and contracts to sort out and that takes two or three days. You would run out of time.

"The preliminary groundwork needs doing before the final week of January. If you leave everything until then and panic, you get it wrong. If you do it out of desperation, you don't make the right choice. So, even now, we are starting to run out of time.

He explained his preference for a striker, saying: "To score more goals is important because, if you get in front, defenders play better and don't concede as many. It takes the pressure of them.

Dangerous

"But we are playing a dangerous game if we only sign one player when you look at the number some clubs around us are bringing in.

"We gambled by bringing in three key players in January last year season and it paid off for us. But this time we haven't got the funds.

"I've been given a budget which only allows for one quality player. I was hoping for more. I was surprised."

He added: "There are no players who we'd want in the Nationwide League who we can afford. We'd have to buy a Premiership player outright and we are not in a position to give two or three-year contracts that we couldn't service if we dropped into the First Division.

"That means our only option is to go abroad to bring in a player on loan. Even so, loan players are very expensive but that's what you get when you want to bring in a trouble-shooter on a short-term basis for about 18 games."

Allardyce added: "It would be great if we shut down for January. Then I could get out for two weeks and do my business finding a new man while the players who had been working their socks off took a two-week break.

"Then everyone could come together for a mini pre-season in the second two weeks of January before we started playing again in February."

Allardyce went on: "The season will only get tougher from now. We found that last year because the big guys like Arsenal, United and Liverpool kick in during the second half of the season."